Rubber heel



May 20, 1924. 1,494,946

W. BERNSTEIN RUBBER HEEL Filed May 13. 1922 WILLIAM IBERNSTEIN, OF JAMAICA PLAIN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIG-NOR TO PANTHER RUBBER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF STOUGHTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A COR- PORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

RUBBER HEEL.

Application filed. May 13, 1922. Serial No. 560,705.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM BERNSTEIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jamaica Plain, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rubber Heels; and I do hereby declare the fol lowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a rubber heel.

The object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved construction of rubber heel, and more particularly with respect to the construction of the heel with relation to friction members for increasing the grippinlg qualities of the tread surface of the bee With this object in view, the invention consists in the rubber heel hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims.

In the drawing illustrating the preferredembodiment of the invention, Fig. 1' is a plan of a heel embodying the present invention, and Fi 2 is a sectional detail on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, illustrating the construction of one of the friction plugs or members and the manner in which it is secured to the body portion of the heel.

Friction plugs for increasing the gripping or frictional quality of the tread surface of resilient heels, as heretofore constructed, have comprised plugs completely vulcanized to the sides and bottom of recesses in the body portion of the heel, so that the plug is integrally secured to the body portion of the heel and forms a part thereof. Such a construction of heel is shown in the patent to Frank Berenstein, No. 1,173,088, of February 22, 1916. With such a construction of heel, however, a marked tendency exists for displacement of the plugs from operative position within the recesses when the heel is subjected to the flexure, and particularly the flexure incident to wear. This appears to be partially due to the fact that the plug itself is relatively non-resilient as compared to the body ortion of the heel, so that upon fiexure 0 and particularly of the upper or tread surface thereof, the bond between the plug and heel is destroyed so that in a short time the the body portion,

plug is forced out of its recess by the continual compression and expansion of the body of the heel during wear.

One feature of the present invention contemplates a construction of heel in which a friction member is vulcanized or otherwise secured to the lower portion of the recess in whichit is located and leaving the upper marginal portions of the plug detached from the surroundin portions of the walls of the recess. Thls feature enables considerable relative movement between the tread surface of the heel and the plug so that during compression and expansion of the heel under wear, the bond by which the plug is secured to the heel is not destroyed or weakened.

The friction plug itself is preferabl shaped so that as the heel body is molde a lock or wedge of the resilient material serves to assist in retainin the plug in operative position. The annu ar space between the upper portion of the plug and the edge of the walls of the recess also serves to increase the gripping eflect and efliciency of the plug itself as'a friction member. Furthermore, the ordinary compression during wear of the heel operates to compress the marginal portion of the heel surrounding the plug to a greater degree than the body of rubber below the lug, with the result that the plug is caused to protrude slightly, thus affording better chance for the frlction material to operate to prevent slipping.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the body portion 10 of the heelis shown as provided with three friction plugs 12 located at the rear of the tread surface of the heel. Each friction plug 12 is formed as shown in Fig. 2, having the upper lateral surface 13 tapered outwardly from the top of the plug toward the bottom and thence inclined inwardly to form an annular recessed portion 14:. The plugs 12 are provided with a central hole 16 for the reception of the fastenin device by which the heel body is securet? to the shoe heel. A metallic washer 18 is positioned at the bottom of the plughaving the usual ghole 20 through which the shank of the fastening device extends to permit the head of the fastening device to be driven against the upper surface of the washer to clamp and secure the rubber heel to the shoe heel. The

friction plugs 12 are vulcanized and securely bonded to the heel body at the annular recessed portion 14. The lateral surfaces 13 of the plugs are detached from the surrounding wall of the recess, the latter being preferably formed so as to leave a tapered annular space 24 between the same.

the recess in contact therewith and vulcanized thereto. In this way the permanency of the union of the friction plug in the heel is greatly increased. Furthermore, it can be seen that as the heel body is slightly compressed under wear, the friction plug'is caused to relatively protrude a slightly greater distance beyond the tread surface of the heel, thereby materially increasing its eficiency as a friction member and affording a better gripping action to take place.

Both in the specification and appended claims the surfaces and parts of the heel are referred to Fig. 2 of the drawings. Thus the portion of the plug surrounded by the surface 13 is considered to be the upper marginal portion, while that part of the plug immediately adjacent the washer 18 is considered to be the lower portion, regardless of the relative positions of the parts when the heel is secured to a shoe.

While the preferred embodiment of the h naeapae positioned in the recess and rigidly secured to the body portion at points below the tread surface thereof, the upper marginal portions of the friction member being detached from the upper portions of the recess to thereby diminish the tendency toward displacement of the friction member upon fiexure of the tread surface of the heel.-

2. A rubber heel comprising a body portion having a recess on the tread surface thereof, a friction member rigidly secured in the recess and having its upper marginal portion detached from the surrounding portions of the heel body.

3. A rubber heel comprising a body portion having a recess in the tread surface thereof, and a friction member rigidly positioned Within the recess'and-having under cut port-ions vulcanized to the adjacent portions of the heel body, the upper'lateral surface of the member being detached from corresponding portions of the heel body.

4. A rubber heel comprising a body portion having a recess in the tread face and upper portion thereof, and a friction plug inset in the recess having its lower portion undercut and vulcanized to the surrounding portion of the walls of the recess,and having its upper lateral surface detached from v the surrounding portions of the walls of the recess.

5. A rubber heel comprising a body por- I tion and a friction plug vulcanized in position in the body portion from the bottom of the plug upward toward the tread surface of the heel, such vulcanized union terminating short of the tread surface of the 6. A rubber heel comprising a body portion and a friction plug having a dove-tail portion embedded and vulcanized in the body portion from the bottom of the plug a portion of the distance toward the tread surface of the heel but free from it the remainder of the distance. 7

. BERNSTEIN. 

